SECOND-HAND SENSE: When the family of Pablo Picasso and heirs to his invaluable estate took Daimler Chrysler to the European Court of Justice to try to prevent the company using the name "Picaro" for a car, claiming it resembled too closely their highly profitable trademark, they found themselves on the receiving end of a withering dressing down from a judge.
They objected to a similiar name being used, but at the same time had sold the Picasso name to Citroën to help sell a mini MPV. The "most outstanding mythic figure of the 20th century" had been reduced to a piece of merchandise, they were told coldly.
One doubts whether the Picasso signature has helped to sell more Citroën Xsara Picasso MPVs. The more prosiac explanation is probably more to do with the fact that the Picasso is good value for money, is practical (although not as cleverly designed as the Opel Zafira) and its looks rather than its name have helped it to age well. It has been around for six years now and it still looks well. Although it looks a slightly quirky car it is not a gimmicky car. Knowing that very few people have more than three children, Citroën opted for a five-seat configuration and gave customers the boot they actually needed - rather than provide more unnecessary seating and a pokey boot. The designers also provided plenty of cleverly concealed storage space and lots of smaller receptacles for kids bits and pieces. There are also table tops fitted to the rear seats and the middle seat folds down to keep them occupied.
The Picasso is a spacious car all round and a large glass area makes for a bright interior, although it can sometimes be too bright to read the digital display on the dashboard. It has quite a soft ride and soft steering but this is not really a car to be driven fast or hard. You will eventually forgive the rolling around in corners because the car is very comfortable.
The most popular version of the Picasso is the 1.6 petrol, which sold on price but lacks any engine sparkle and is quite sluggish. There is also a 1.6 diesel engine with a 110 horse power capacity - the petrol has only 95 - which would be the ideal choice. Some people will find the pedals too close together and tall drivers have problems with getting a good driving position.
The car has a four-star rating out of a possible five in EuroNCAP crash tests but one test found that the side airbag only protected the driver to shoulder height rather than to head height. This airbag coud not be relied upon to protect the driver adequately in some types of crashes.
There have been a number of recalls on the car, mostly in small numbers, but there have been two major ones. These involved problems with failed suspension springs possibly making contact with the tyres and difficulties with the hand brake.
A 2004 car with a 1.6 petrol engine, alloy wheels, electric windws, four airbags, air conditioning and a CD player and with 25,000 miles on the clock is priced in one garage at €17,500. A diesel version of the same year but with only 8,500 miles on the clock is the same price at another garage. Another option would be a three year-old 2.0 litre diesel with 63,000 miles on the clock at €14,000.
FOR: Good styling and is ageing well. Good all round family car.
AGAINST: Lacklustre performance from 1.6 petrol engine. Poor driving position.